22 February 2015

I'm about to get very lazy, but I just loved this devotional out of Our Daily Bread.  It was written by Dennis Fisher.

"August 10, 1628, was a dark day in naval history. On that day the royal warship Vasa set out on her maiden voyage. After taking 2 years to build, being lavishly decorated and holding 64 cannons, the pride of the Swedish navy sank only one mile out to sea. What went wrong? The excessive load was too heavy to make her seaworthy. Excess weight pulled the Vasa to the bottom of the ocean.The Christian life can also be weighed down by excess baggage. Encouraging us in our spiritual journey, the book of Hebrews says: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (12:1-2).Like the lavishly decorated ship, we may project to others an impressive exterior. But if on the inside we are weighed down with sin, our perseverance can be impaired. There is a remedy, however. By relying on God’s guidance and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, our load can be lightened and our perseverance buoyant.Forgiveness and grace are always available to the spiritual traveler.

Father in heaven, too often I try to mask the burden
and weight of sin in my life with the outward activities
of the Christian life. Forgive me. Help me to set aside
the things that keep me from running a good race.

 

Perseverance is as much about a strong won’t as a strong will."

I really like this because it was reminder that no matter what we look like on the outside, what is going on in the inside is what keeps us going, or not.  We can't keep up a facade for long.  It will wear us out.  Let's all be real with God.  Let's dump the weight and seek forgiveness for sins.  Let's be free and able to keep sailing until the end of our journey.  Have a great week.